This application claims the priority of German patent application 198 25 569.1, filed Jun. 8, 1998 and German patent application 198 27 864.0 filed Jun. 23, 1998, the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a wheel suspension for a motor vehicle, particularly a rear wheel suspension, having a spring arranged separately from a shock absorber.
From U.S. Pat. No. 3,727,939, a wheel suspension for a motor vehicle is known, in which a spiral spring is arranged separately in relation to a shock absorber with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The supporting with respect to the vehicle body as well as to the vehicle suspension takes place by individual bearings which have a high-expenditure design.
It is an object of the invention to provide a wheel suspension, particularly a rear wheel suspension, with improved bearings for a shock absorber and a spiral spring, which is arranged separately thereto, which are easy to mount, and which wheel suspension permits an exterior position of the shock absorber with respect to the wheel.
According to the invention, this object has been achieved by providing a wheel suspension for a motor vehicle, comprising: a shock absorber; a spring arranged separately from said shock absorber; a console to be arranged approximately in a transverse vehicle direction on a longitudinal rear axle tube, said console supporting a lower end of said shock absorber and supporting a lower end of said spring; a carrying device coupled to a vehicle body member, an upper end of said shock absorber being swivellably coupled to said carrying device; and a supporting device coupled to said vehicle body member, an upper end of said spring being disposed on said supporting device.
According to the invention, this object has been achieved by providing an arrangement for supporting a spring and a shock absorber arranged separately from each other in a motor vehicle wheel suspension, comprising: a pot-shaped member coupled to a vehicle body member such that said pot-shaped member is open in a downward direction, said pot-shaped member including a bearing area to be coupled to an upper end of the spring; a U-shaped profile coupled to at least one of said vehicle body member and said pot-shaped member such that said U-shaped profile extends at least approximately vertically, said U-shaped bearing to be coupled to an upper end of the shock absorber.
The principal advantages achieved by the invention are that a simple lower bearing for the spiral spring as well as for the shock absorber is formed by a common transversely arranged console which is connected, for example, by welding, with a longitudinal rear axle tube. The upper bearings for the shock absorber and the spiral spring are constructed separately. The upper bearing for the shock absorber comprises a carrying device attached on the outside to the vehicle body member. The shock absorber is arranged between the rear wheel and the longitudinal rear axle tube of the wheel suspension; that is, the distance between the shock absorbers of each wheel side, as a whole, has a relatively large base. Furthermore, the upper bearing of the shock absorber is provided at a vertical distance to the upper bearing of the spiral spring.
The spiral spring is arranged approximately in parallel to the shock absorber in the transverse direction of the vehicle. An upper end of the spiral spring is held in a supporting device which is integrated in the vehicle body member. In addition to a spring plate for the spiral spring, this supporting device also comprises an additional inner spring as a stop element in order to absorb a deflection.
Adjacent to this supporting device, the carrying device for the upper end of the shock absorber is provided on the exterior side of the vehicle body member. The carrying device extends above the supporting device so that the bearing of the shock absorber is at a vertical distance from the supporting device. Due to the exterior arrangement of the shock absorber at a relatively large distance, an improved roll damping is achieved.
The common bearing console for the shock absorber and the spiral spring can be connected in a simple manner with the longitudinal rear axle tube, for example, by welding. Through a recess or shaping-out, the upper spring plate of the supporting device for the spiral spring can be connected with the vehicle body member, so that a simple preassembly of the wheel suspension unit is permitted. In particular, the spring plate can be connected with a pot which extends inside the vehicle body member and protrudes as a so-called dome. On the top side, the carrying device for the shock absorber can then be connected with this dome.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.